Denver

It is with great sadness that I have to report the July 19th passing of Debra's and Barbara's father. Ken fell at home in Jacksonville, FL and broke a hip; surgery at the nearby Mayo Clinic was initially successful, but a continuing series of setbacks took its ultimate toll.

So, RV travel plans were altered. Ron and I arrived mid-month to the Strasburg KOA for a ten day stay. We first visited the local Uhrich Locomotive Works; this is a second generation (1945) family business which specializes in the manufacture/repair of recreational/commercial rail engines/cars. It is a fully operational

facility with many machine tools (dating back to 1885) and even have their own foundry.

I was away for three days to attend Ken's funeral and during my absence Ron did a huge day trip to the mountain town of Canon City, CO (and no doubt enjoyed the peace and quite). After my return, we visited the Rocky Mountain NP and, after getting past the hectic traffic in Estes Park, enjoyed the 45 mile Trail Ridge Road. At the Alpine Visitor Center it was a balmy 49 degrees with a 29 mph wind--a 41 degree wind chill; and it hailed long enough for the small pellets to be visible on the roadway. The day's highlight was seeing some of the Park's animal life at several locations. We saw a small herd of female elk and got very close to a beautifully antlered male just grazing roadside. At another stop we saw at a distance a moose cow and her calf as they crossed a small stream and disappeared into the lush woods. While reading about these animals, one source noted that the male elk antler growth/shedding is an annual testosterone-driven event; an antler can approach a length of four feet and grow almost an inch daily.

Another day took us some thirty miles north of the campground to The Wild Animal Sanctuary. The non-profit Sanctuary is a 720 acre compound housing carnivorous animals which are obtained from a variety of sources--neglected animals, closed circuses, etc. The animals have huge fenced habitat areas complete with items which mimic their natural environment, i.e., large concrete culverts become dens and swinging bridges become swaying trees. Viewing of the animals is from a 1.5 mile (one way) elevated boardwalk which minimizes the distraction of the animals; during our three hour self-guided visit we saw several Bengal tigers, several species of wolf, a huge Kodiak bear, more than a dozen black bears, upwards of fifty lions, several mountain lions, and even a camel.